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A fantastic detailed scale model of a farm machine

My three and a half year old son is absolutely tractor mad. We are a Dairy Farming family and so he is used to all the tractors and various machines being around the farm.

We started collecting the bruder range of farm machinery for him when he was about 18 months old and he now has a vast selection of tractors, combines, trailers and other farming implements.

When asked what my son wanted for Christmas last year the only thing he asked for was a Silage cutter. We cut silage about three times a year and so he is in his element when these huge machines are working on and around the farms for days on end. The Bruder 02131Claas Jaguar 900 Field Chopper is an almost exact replica of the machines that we have working here.

The Bruder Claas Jaguar 900 Field Chopper is made of hard plastic and is decorated in the Claas colours of white, green and red. The toy is a 1:16 scale model of the genuine machines that are used on farms and the attention to detail is fantastic. There are several moving parts including the wheels, the four spinning choppers on the front and the spout on the top. The spinning choppers can be removed and another piece called a Bruder 02221 Claas Silage Pick Up 300HD, which is sold separately, can then be added.

I am not a farmer or from farming family and get a bit confused by all these things but I think this is the machine that goes round and cuts the grass ready to be collected up and made into silage. The Claas Silage Pick Up is then needed to collect up the grass and shoot it through the spout into a waiting trailer. This Field Chopper is best used with other pieces from the Bruder range as on its own you cannot gain the full farming experience!

Bruder is a German company that specialises is making realistic scale models of farming machinery and vehicles. You can get everything from key rings to combine harvesters and they are all really realistic. The scale models start as small as 1:128 and go up to 1:16. There are three ranges available, the mini series, the professional series which includes the Claas Jaguar 900 Field chopper and a range called Roadmax which is specifically designed for younger children. The Roadmax range doesn't have any of the real life detailing of the Professional range but they are still excellent. They are big vehicles made of hard plastic with big chunky rubber wheels. For more information on any of the Bruder ranges go to www.bruder.de/ea

When my son received the Claas on Christmas morning he was so excited and set straight to cutting his silage! We didn't have the Claas Silage Pick Up at that time but this did not affect his enjoyment or his eagerness to enjoy his new piece of machinery. I would say that this toy is played with almost on a daily basis and is rarely put away. The range is aimed at children aged 3 years and over and I would say this is a good guide as there are small parts and a younger child may not appreciate the detail of the machines.

The Field Chopper is quite big and measures 45cm long by 32.5cm high so storage can be an issue especially once you have a few items from the range. The whole thing is very sturdy and can take quite a bit of bashing about but the smaller detailed parts do come off easily. They are easily replaced and so far we have not needed to use the super glue.

We bought our Field Chopper from the Lincolnshire Show last summer for £24.99 at a reduced price. The Field Chopper is currently (April 09) available from www.amazon.co.uk for £29.33 with free postage. We bought the Bruder Claas Silage Pick Up from our local farm shop for£9.99 but this is also available from Amazon at £8.80. Unfortunately the Bruder toys do not seem to be widely available in toy shops but can be found online or at Farm Shops such as our local one www.cobbscountrystore.co.uk.

I would recommend any of the bruder toys to anyone with a young farmer to occupy. They are well made, the bigger pieces are quite sturdy and they really do give the feeling of being a proper farmer.